Do you allow your dogs in the same room as the DCK's?

We have 2 chihuahuas and a cat. They are allowed in the same rooms as the DCK's, as long as I am there to supervise them. The kids know to leave the animals alone. I'm afraid if the kids get in the habits of petting the dogs, they will get annoyed and start disliking the kids. (I don't have the most gentle kids. They aren't used to animals at home.) If I go in the kitchen, the dogs follow me.

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I don't have dogs but I do have two cats and a few rats (caged). I don't let the DCKs near my animals. It's not worth the liability to me. I know and trust my animals, but should the worst happen and a DCK got bit then I would be very sorry for my animal and that I put them in that position (and of course sorry for the child who was bit too).

But then, it's easy to say with only cats. I put them outside and am done with it. We don't bring the rats in the dc area either. It would be harder with a more social animal like a dog.

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Yes

Mine went in to visit about once a month and for photo ops.

I liked to put party hats on her and had her sit at the birthday table for the kids albums. The pics are hysterical and parents love it.

Granted, mine was a trained search dog. The parents knew if their kid went missing, she'd be out there looking.

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We have a dog that is great with our five year old, but when I start daycare in two weeks will be contained to the laundry room during daycare hours.

I don't feel like she would hurt any of the kids, but that's not a chance I'm willing to take. Beyond that, when she is out all day I have to sweep twice a day to keep the floors clean (and she is a beagle - doesn't shed too much). I can't stand dog hair on anything so it will be easier on me if she is contained.

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I try as much as possible to keep my dog seperate. He is not allowed in the downstairs daycare area and when we are upstairs I babygate him in our hallway or he's in my bedroom sleeping with my husband (he works third). But we have a big dog. LOVABLE but can be clumsy. So far the kids I have all have a big dog themselves so they absolutely love him. I sometimes give him a break and let him in the family area if I only have one kid (like right now the little ones are napping and I just have one older child playing with the dollhouse and our dog is just laying on the rug). But I absolutely won't ever let him around without supervision. I don't want to take any chances.

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I allow my dog free rein in my home except for meal times. Right now he is laying beside the 4 yr olds watching them play legos. He is a medium size (18#) poodle mix. Been in the daycare since 6 weeks old. He is 5 the 23 of aug. He is just one of the kids. He is our pet. Part of our curriculum, part of our family. Most the kids I have don't have pets at home so I share mine. I am always in sight and sound of the kids so they are always supervised with him.

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Our cat has free reign of the house, but steers clear of the dcks and my 2yo. She will lash out if they get too rough so I try to shoo either her or the dcks away. Mostly she sits in the window high enough away to not be touched, but where she can watch the goings on.

We have a dog on the weekends. He's a service dog in training. He's here Friday afternoons and 1 Monday a month. He's also allowed to roam free now. He's huge and could knock them over, but by 10am the novelty has worn off and the kids just ignore him & he ignores them.

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I have a Westie and she is allowed everywhere. She steals the toys from the kids and takes them upstairs. The kids have always been use to having her around. I do keep a close eye on her, if she gets tired of them she gets in a chair and the dcks know they have to leave her alone. When they eat she has to stay out of the kitchen until they are done.

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Pretty much the same here. I have a 10 year old lab mix and an almost 1 year old Shar-pei. The kids and parents love them. I have had an interview in the past that the parent asked me to kennel my dogs during daycare hours. I passed on that client and would do it again. The dogs are very much a part of our daycare family and I beleive that children NEED to be around animals frequently so that they learn how to treat animals and just becaus it is good for them.

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I have 3 dogs, yep, 3. They're all different with the kids so they're all treated differently. The lab mix is the most gentle thing on the planet and is just a big lump so she is in the living room (our daycare area) most of the day. The kids love her but leave her alone for the most part anyway. They're too busy playing!

The pomeranian is a typical little dog and gets overwhelmed by the kids so if she's inside she has a place under our desk that she goes to get away and is left alone there as well. She's my shadow and I'm able to closely supervise her.

The lab puppy is sweet but obviously has more energy so she is outside all day. I bring her in during nap time so she can have some bonding time with me, but other than that. I don't trust her with the daycare toys and it's not worth the stress to watch her as well as the kids.

Yes, there is risk, but with the group I have (all over 3) I am comfortable with the 2 dogs being in the daycare. If I got younger kids, I would have them outside or in our mud room (closed off porch separate from the rest of the house) all day.

I think you have to know your kids and know your dog. If you aren't sure, then separate. I chose to have dogs and chose to do daycare so I try to integrate them as much as possible. You have to be an animal lover to come here!!

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I used to keep my bigger Chihuahua in a room, where she was by herself behind a closed door. After the last kid would leave, I'd let her out, and she would go and pee or poo on the bathroom floor. I talked to the vet about it, and she said that she's looking for attention because she's lonely all day. Now she has free reign with the other dog and cat, but tends to keep to herself. I can tell she's happier overall though. She's family and deserves to be out with us!

The kids don't have pets at home, and the parents love the fact that they are around pets here.

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I have a 209 pound, 4 year old Newfoundland who comes to visit at the day care. He loves it and the kids love it. Newfs are naturally drawn to children and are so incredibly gentle. The kids climb all over him and he is fine with it. He would also go to my daughters' school when they were in middle school. He got adopted as unofficial mascot and was always surrounded by dozens of kids. He didn't care...infact he would get so excited when I pulled into the parking lot because he knew that meant loves and hugs! He does the same when my husband brings him to day care. We just got a Westie pup last weekend too! He will visit the day care when he's a bit bigger. The socialization is important to him.

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I have a golden retriever. Most of the parents don't mind if the dog is around the kids, however, there is one that has an issue with it. My dog is so laid back (and fat) that she spends most of her day laying down. The kids use her as a pillow and she doesn't mind. I do keep her blocked off from the room for the majority of the day. She gets maybe an hours worth of time in there each day. She isn't allowed in the lower level either.

My cat has free reign of the house. He can go wherever he wants to...and that's no where near kids!

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When I first started daycare my neighbors had Newfoundlands and they were in a fenced in yard. The only time they ever jumped the fence was when my dcks were outside playing and laughing. They were in a fenced in play area, so I had to watch the dogs so they didn't jump my fence. The dogs could only hear the kids not see them. It was funny

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Last Christmas, I only had 3 kids that needed care between Christmas and New years. So instead of me going to my day care, I just had the parents bring their kids to my house for those few days. My Newfie would stand and let the kids hold his tail and he would gently pull them around the house. If they let go, he would stop and wait for them to hold on again and then off they would go! He was their provider most of the time! Just like Nana from Peter Pan (who was a Landseer (black/white Newfoundland!)!

This my gentle boy...

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I wish I had a house big enough for a Newfi! Or a Great Pry. They make such wonderful therapy dogs. But what does my Aspie daughter want, a toy poodle. Um, no thanks.

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I love him!!!

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two of my children..

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We had a cat for 15 years that we'd gotten as a kitten when my own kids were very little. It was used to being around all of the kids and they'd put her in the doll stroller and push her around. She was the best cat!

When she passed away it was so heartbreaking and my husband finally relented and surprised me at Christmas with a shih tzu puppy and she is now 4 years old.

A few years later we got a miniature dachshund puppy for my daughter. Both dogs absolutely adore the dcks and the kids love playing ball with them. I've taught the dcks to be gentle and nice to them ---no pulling hair, tail or ears and both dogs have the most lovable and easy going personalities. They grew up surrounded by kids daily and get so excited when the dcks begin to arrive.

Many of the families would love to have dogs of their own for their kids to play with, but with being gone all day decided against it. They are thrilled with the fact that their children have pets to interact with here!

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Me too!

I have to say, that every breed can be good or bad and it all depends on how they are socialized, raised and ultimately their temperament. The trainers we work with always tell us, they can fix obedience, but they can't fix temperament after a certain point. I've seen pit bulls be awesome service dogs and Goldens that would rip you to shreds. You have to know your dog.

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I am not a dog person, but we have an overabundance of cats (5), a cockatoo, and 2 desert tortoises..

The kids have access to the cats, except for 2. One doesn't like kids so she never comes downstairs. The other one is really old and doesn't leave my niece's bedroom, so the kids have no contact with her.

The cockatoo never comes out unless my niece is home. She'll hold the bird and let the kids pet him, but he's never loose outside her bedroom.

The tortoises just cruise around the backyard, but I have to watch the boys. They get too rough with the tortoises.

We had a dwarf bunnie. He was ok with the kids, but had plenty of hiding spots they couldn't get to if he had enough of them.

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I have 2 dogs and a cat. They spend lots of time around the dck's and my own kids. They are very gentle with the kids, but sometimes can plow them over accidentally. The dck's grab their ears, lips and pull on them, they sit on them and try ride them like a pony.

They are both big dogs, and would NEVER hurt the kids, and I trust that 100%. No doubt in my mind. But I am always there when the dogs are near the kids. Normally the dogs are either outside or locked in the kitchen, but I do socialize them with everyone so they are not afraid of them when they do have to share a space.

The dogs and the dcp's are a different story. I never allow my dogs near dcp's because my dogs are stupid for attention when adults are around, and they jump up for hugs and such, but i don't like that. So the dogs are either outside or locked up when dcp's are around. There are times where dcp's walk into the backyard when we are outside and the dogs are with us, and it's usually a struggle for me to get the dogs IN the house.

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We have a Mastiff! She has free reign of our house. But she sleeps more than anything. She does have to go outside during drop off and pick up time and all meal times.
She barks at the parents when they pull up so she has to stay outside. And she begs for food at at snack and lunch time. I usually let her in after to clean the floor !
Shes great with the kids, she lets them climb all over her, pull her ears, open her mouth!! She doesnt care she loves the attention!!

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I have dogs and they NEVER see the DCK's. Although my dogs are sweet, they are still animals and I would never run the risk of a child getting hurt or bit in my care. So, my dogs have their own room and that's where they live during the day.

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I only have cats, and chinchillas. The cats are free reign, and if the kids start bothering them, they just run away. No issues. Both my families have dogs and one has cats, so they're used to animals.

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I keep them seperate generally but oh how they LOVE my dog! My dogs name is Annie. One day care mom said that the 2yr old dcg calls all dogs Annie now LOL. That little girl has to stop and pet Annie every evening before she leaves. Im ok with it because mom is there with dcg. Yesterday we had a 10yr old here "drop-in care" (summer camp ended last week and school starts next) and during nap he went outside and played ball with Annie but I stood beside him. He had loads of fun with that
The other day a dcd was outside and he was talking to Annie and petting her. I thought it was sweet. He then became my favorite dcd If you are nice to my doggie we are gonna be friends

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Ah! Another gentle giant owner! Haven't had a mastiff (yet!) I've had 3 saints and a newfie!

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My Goodness POOP patrol at your houses must involve a shovel!!! rofl! lol

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I have two 5 month old cats that have free roam of the house. All the parents are well aware in the initial interview that I have cats and they interact with the children. This is their home first and I would never take on a client that was not ok with having a cat around their child. My kittes have been trained to play with a human with their claws in, I start this the very first day they come home. I have had absoulotely not one scratch on any one of daycare children in the three and a half months that this set of kitties has been with us. My kitties are extremely affectionate and love attention so the daycare children are allowed to pick them up and cuddle with them if they would like. However, if I notice that a child has been playing with a kitty for two long I tell that child to let 'x' kitty go as they might have to pee, eat or drink or want to have a sleep. I have always raised my kitties along side the daycare kids and maybe that's what makes the difference. Some of the cats I have had over the years where born in my home. They are allowed with the children at about two months and the children are allowed to begin picking them up at around three months.

I have had prospective clients ask about the cats and scratching. Same answer every time; I can't guarantee that the children won't get scratched, although it doesn't usually happen, but if a child is extremely rough with my kitties there is a chance the child might get scratched. In a situation like this I would do all I could to make sure that the child was not pulling at, squeezing or sitting on the cat. But when it comes down to it cats have to have a way to defend themselves too and if a child is being cruel they could potentially end up scratched. Bottom line children need to learn how to interact with animals in a caring, respectful and friendly manner.

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We just have the newf and an 8 week old westie now!

But when potty training our dogs, they are only allowed to go in the "potty spot" which is a grass area beside our shed. They were never allowed to potty anywhere else and never tried after they were trained. We can run around the yard and never have to worry about stepping in a missed pile! It was intense training...but so worth it. The dog ALWAYS runs to his potty spot to do his business.

but yes.......clean up still requires a shovel!!

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We have 3 dogs, never around the dck's because they are big (huskies) and one bird, one cat, and one rooster, 5 hens, and a few ducks, the kids love to feed them bread and watch their eggs hatch, we even eat their eggs.
We want to get a miniature horse... still looking for the right one that fits our family.

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we have one dog, beagle/basset mix and he has run of the upstairs. I have a gate at my stairs and he come down and sits on the stairs and sleeps or watches the kids. He likes to sleep during the day and I don't want the kids bugging him. I let him out during lunch time outside for a while.

It seems to work, even on the weekends he sleeps upstairs on his bed during the day so he must like it.

I want a mastiff so bad but DH says no. My kids and I are working on him though and I'm sure if we bug him enough we'll get one . I'm a little worried with having a daycare and a huge dog so I'm glad to see others have them and it's not a problem.

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We just got a lab mix puppy...well she is 9 mos so she really isn't a puppy. I was a little nervous bc it's been 5 yrs since having a pet in the house. My whole family have wanted to have one for some time now and just haven't found the perfect fit. So we adopted Harley from another family who was moving into a apt. and couldn't take her w/them. She is a little things only weighs 37 pds and is petite. We've only had her for 2 months and the first month was rough bc she was sooo scared of everyone but me and the kids...but my husband and any of the parents she wld just hide. She is very gentle and doesn't have that puppy energy now. She's tiny...only 37pds. She doesn't much play with the kids. Early in the morning she grabs her toys and plays with them for 30 min. throwing it around and shacking it but then lays down by the gate waiting for the parents to drop off. It took her a month to get used to the parents though bc she would growl and bark. But soooo awesome with the kids. Those where her kids. She is very protective and will follow them behind them and sit in the rooms they play in and watch. She allows them to pet her and pull her ears and mouth and grab her toys. The kids have even tried getting into her food bowl and water bowl and she will just stand back watching. She is not aggressive at all but she def. is learning on trusting adults. I think she had a bad experiences with an adult or something bc she was sooo scared of any adult that came in here now she is more trusting. Some of my part time parents she doesn't even bark at any more she is learning adults are ok...lol!! But each of my parents understand that it's important to have a pet in the home bc it teaches love and nurturing and being kind. I use her not just for her well being but for the kids well being. I don't worry much about the kids getting hurt. although I have one little guy who waits til I am out of sit to run up jump on Harley and Harley thinks it's time to play so they get on the floor rolling around and she likes to do that get down low on the ground and jump up and down from side to side. Kind of like pouncing...and every time they do that my little guy gets scratched. Just when I think little guy has learned his lesson there they go at it again. But he's learning that when I mean no I mean no more...lol!!

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Meeko~ I am a Saint owner and big dog lover too!! My pet is picture in post #16 of this thread https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25672 These are older photos and he has grown alot since they were taken.

He is our 4th Saint. He is 2.5 years old now and weighs in at 217lbs. His dad came from the same family line as some of the dogs used to film the Beethoven movies. Our last one made it to 11.5 yrs before we had to put him down. Both my DH and I had Saints growing up so it was a given we would have them while our kids were growing up as well. VERY gentle, loving and loyal dogs.

We live in the country so my dog has also learned to go potty in a specific area (one that isn't our yard ) so scoopin' poop is never an issue for us. Ours also visits the daycare once in a while but I hate taking him in the car because although Cujo gave them a bad rap, Beethoven was spot on about the drooling and the slobber!!

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LOVE LOVE LOVE her!! I will never have any other doggy!! Except maybe a newfie since they have the same personalities!!
As for the ginormous poop...thankfully she poops in the same spot!!

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My dog is very, very gentle. Still, I don't typically allow her around the kids. Mostly because if something did happen (like a bite) she could be put down. If I am right there and the kids want to pet her and such I let them. I have an area gated off so they can see my dog and vice versa.

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My old Golden (no longer with us ) was always a part of the mix. Children were the light of his life. BUT.. I only had one FT and one PT child beside my own. If I had a bunch I would separate for the most part. Probably by a baby gate so the children could pet the dog but couldn't maul him.

It depends on the animal. My cat - no way - she's a beast.

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All the drool and slobber is so worth it! Our second saint was a show champ. I enjoyed the show scene, but it got way too busy and too much travelling, so I won't do it again. Our last saint only lived to a week after his 1st birthday. He had Addisons disease. We were heartbroken to lose him so young. But we got our darling Newf soon after and he fills our lives with so much love (and slobber!) We also just got a new Westie pup.....life is busy!!!

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